Construction of railway-cars



(No Model.\ ZSheets-Shast 2.

G. 0. KUHLMAN. CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARS.

No. 546,592. Patented Sept. 17, 1,895.

HW IW I Fig.5

INVENTDRJ AN DREW B.GRANAM,PNOTU-UTNDYWASMNGTDN u c GUSTAVE C. KUHLMAN,

Enron.

ATENT OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 546,592, datedSeptember 1'7, 1895.

Application filed January 5.1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUs'rAvn O. KUHLMAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State ofOhio, have invented an Improved Frame Construction for Railway-Cars; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, true, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-cars, particularlystreet motor-cars, and the objects of my improvement are, first, toenhance the strength and durability of the frame part of said cars;second, to render convenient the application of large windows, and,third, to maintain the full width of the cars throughout the length ofsame.

That the invention may be fully understood and seen, reference will behad to the following specification and the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 represents a partial plan view of the skeleton frame of acar. cal sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 represents a partialcross-sectional view of the same.

Like letters of reference denote like parts in the drawings andspecification.

For illustration, the improvements above referred to are shown inconnection with what is technically known as a .side-aisle car, as it isin this style of cars where such improvements are most essential.

Strength and durabilityv of and for the skeleton frame of the car Iattain by the application of angular truss-plates A A in connection withthe floor side sills B B. Said plates are adapted to carry auxiliarysills B outside and below said floor-sills. (See Fig. 3.) Thefloor-sills are framed in the usual manner with the end sills C, theintermedi-' ate floor-timbers D D and the center timbers E E. (See Fig.1.)

The side door is indicated as at F. An end door is placed at F, and Findicates the door at the opposite end. (See Fig. 3.) Reinforcing-platesG G and G G are provided for the intermediate timbers D D, and the sillsB B and transverse rods H establish a secure connection of the end sillsand center timbers with said side sills B B.

The distance between the levels of the floorsills and that of theauxiliary sills may vary,

Fig. 2 is a verti-' Serial No. 533,921. (No model.)

according to the height of said sills and the depth of the angularplates.

In or upon the sills B are secured or laced the posts J J, while theouter side of the floorsills affords additional opportunity for bracingsaid posts.

Connection of the post and floor-sillsmay be had by means of abolt a,screw, or equivalent means. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) Longitudinal as well aslateral strains are thus met by an abundantly strong structure of theposts J, in connection with the auxiliary sills B, and the floor-sillsB.

In extending the posts below the floor-sills additional advantages areattained-namely, that of providing for room for the windows I andsliding door F. 1 In cars of. theclass as mentioned it is customary toapply large windows, and such windows can be lowered in the above-namedinstance to the full extent of the passage or clearance formed by theposts, sills B, andthe sidings b b. of the car. The objectionablefeature, as is experienced in single-sill cars, of having a largeportion of the window-sash protruding above the window-casing is therebyavoided. Cars of the side-aisle style are in use the year around, andduring the summerv months the windows almost constantly remain lowered.It is thus desirable that the entire window-openings are cleared uponlowering the windows to admit of an abundant circulation of air.

The dotted lines I in Fig.3 indicate the window in its lowered positionand resting upon the auxiliary sill. The upper part or rail 0 of thewindow-sash is then about or nearlyin line with the window-sill K. Theheight of said sill in relation'to the floor-line is limited for variousreasons. The entire height of the car, convenience, and appearancethereof would not admit of increasing the height of the window-sillsufficiently to dispose of large windows in the manner as shown, if suchwindows could not descend below the floor-sills. By or with the improve-"ments, as above stated, clearanceor room for any size windows can beestablished to'suit the conditions of and with the window-sill.

The auxiliary sills may be more or less in thickness, since said sillsare supported by means of the metallic angular plates, and, furthermore, the plate itself can have the angular flanges more or lessapart to provide for the necessary room for particular sizes of windows.Arranged in connection with said plates are truss-rods and braces toincrease the stability of the car-frame, said braces (being of thecommon type) are not shown in the drawings.

The presence of means for securing the posts for the side sliding doorbelow the floorsills admits of placing and sliding said door within thereal or actual car-partition, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3. No space of theinterior of the car is thus taken up by said door and the necessaryinterior inclosure thereof.

The auxiliary sills terminate in and with the door-posts, which admitsof placing the step L adjacent the floor sill or plate thereof, renderedmore convenient is thereby the ascension from the running foot-board Munto said step L. (See Fig. 3.)

Braces of the construction, as shown at N, are provided for support ofthe step L and the running foot-board. Preferably said braces aresecured to the channel-iron O and the angular plate in the manner asshown in Fig. 3, the branch (I being omitted for braces outside thereach of the steps.

The fact of providing room forthe door and the step without curtailingthe interior or the necessity of increasing the exterior width of thecar is another of the characteristic features of my invention, for suchadvantages could not be attained without the application of theabove-described angular plate or bar A and the supplementary sill orsills B.

The channel iron or irons above cited extend beneath the car-frame, asshown in Fig. 1, and serve as an efficient means for attachment of thepedestals I for the car-axle boxes. (See Fig. 3.) The above-describedconstruction of car-frames is especially useful in cars of theside-aisle style, for with such cars, if constructed in the ordinarymanner, it has been the experience that the car-frame is weakest at theside-aisle side, owing to the fact that said side cannot be braced asciliciently as the opposite thereof, where the abutting seat-framesserve as means to increase the stability of the car-frame. Furthermore,it is the side-aisle side which is taxed more severely, for it is afrequent occurrence that passengers are crowding and seeking equilibriumand support in the aisle as well as upon the exterior runningfoot-board. By providing support for the posts substantially in themanner as shown the necessary stability is attained for said aisle side,even if subjected to the most severe trials.

From the foregoing it can readily be seen that some of the advantagesabove cited can be attained in any style of cars if constructedsubstantially in the manner as shown.

Angular bars and auxiliary sills arranged below the actual floor-sillsadmit of the application and displacement of large or high windows andsuch windows are an essential feature in cars of modern style orconstruction.

As seen in the drawings, Fig. 3, ready access is had to belts or screwswhich are employed for fastening of the posts and sills, thus a readyadjustment thereof can be had or made at any time, which in turn greatlyenhances the durability of said car-frame or cars proper.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In cars, the two side sills, one arranged below the other, combinedwith angle plates for securing the sills together, substantially asshown.

2. In cars, the two side sills, one arranged below the other, combinedwith the side posts, which have theirlower ends to rest upon the lowersills and which are bolted directly to the outer sides of the uppersills, substantially as described.

3. In cars, the floor sills l3,the auxiliarysills B, placed below thefloor sills, and the sidings b b, of the cars secured to the two sills,combined with the windows and doors which close into the spaces betweenthe sidings but outside of the flooring of the ear, substantially as setforth.

4. In a car, the upper sills, extending the full length of the car, thelowersill formed in two parts, and the sliding door, moving about on alevel with the floor of the car, combined with steps placed between theinner ends of the lower sills, and below the door, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal in presence of twowitnesses.

GUSTAVE C. KUIILMAN. [L. s]

\Vitnesses:

B. F. EIBLER, F. II. MITCHEL.

